


Brontide

by odiko_ptino



Series: Featured Character: Dionysus [2]
Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 21:13:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17030124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odiko_ptino/pseuds/odiko_ptino
Summary: Dionysus brings Hephaestus to Mount Olympus.





	Brontide

The following day is overcast, as it has been for days now.

The journey from Limnos to Mount Olympus is a long one – at least, it is for two outcast gods, who have to travel the tedious way, by boat and by foot.  No flying chariots for them.  The journey takes several days… long enough for several gods to notice them, including Hermes, who has certainly gone back to report to Zeus.

 “I hate him,” Hephaestus mutters defiantly, referring to the quick-flashing form of Hermes as he vanishes towards the mountain.  “Smooth-talking asshole who thinks he can just tell a few jokes and make it like nothing ever happened.”

Dionysus adores Hermes, personally; but he can see why Hephaestus might not.

“I know, darling,” he says, pouring another cup of wine and offering it. 

In the sky, the clouds grow darker, and a low rumble of thunder can be heard, even from this distance.

It’s a long enough journey that Hephaestus could lose his nerve easily, especially with the ominous brontide for ambiance.  Dionysus produces wine more or less continuously to keep Heph on track – the mood is no longer as buoyant as it was in the grotto, but for the first couple of days, it’s still good-ish, flavored with a lot of gallows humor.

“I guess I’ll be in good company in Tartarus, right?” Hephaestus will say.  “Finally get to meet some family there.”

Or, “Maybe they haven’t even seen an ugly person before.  Up on their ivory tower.  They’ll be so confused that they won’t even know how to react.”

Dionysus counters these with some jokes about how after it’s all finally over, he and Heph can celebrate with a real party, complete with sexy satyrs and rowdy maenads, and Dionysus can finally show him how it’s  _really_  done.  Maybe some of the other gods will even beg to join them, and Dionysus will let Heph make the call.

Mount Olympus is visible long before they even reach shore, looming over all the surrounding land, and the peaks are shrouded in dark stormclouds.  It’s here that Hephaestus’ nerve finally starts to fail him. 

“This is really bad,” he says, as Dionysus helps him across the sand.  He’s stumbling a little, still drunk.  He says it as though he hadn’t really realized, in spite of all their talk before, and it’s possible he didn’t.  He’s been locked up in that grotto, making jewelry and living metal assistants and hasn’t ever taken an action before that had consequences to anyone.

“It’s not great,” Dionysus says, leading him to where his donkey waiting.  “But honestly, from what I can tell, this is just another bump in the road for the Olympians.  They’re always at each other’s throats.”

He thinks this might be true, but he also doesn’t know if he’s ever heard of such a successful attack on an Olympian before.  And on Queen Hera herself, from within their stronghold in Zeus’ palace!  Without question, Zeus is Not Happy.  Regardless, it won’t help the situation at large or Hephaestus in particular to dwell on how he’s attacked the queen and enraged the king. 

Dionysus wrestles Hephaestus atop the donkey, and they head out towards the mountain.  It’s now as dark as though it’s night, and it stays that way for the entire duration of the climb.  It takes two full days.  On the night when they stop to allow the donkey to rest, it begins raining, and Hephaestus finally confesses it:

“I really don’t want to go,” he says quietly.  He’s been fidgeting with the head of his cane obsessively for the last few hours. 

“I know, darling,” Dionysus says, sitting beside him.  He’s no longer feeding Hephaestus wine; Heph is going to need to be sober when he enters the palace.  With no more liquid courage to fuel him, all he has is a vague sense that he needs to fix this before Zeus decides to fix it for him… that, and the smoldering coals of the anger that drove him to do it in the first place.

Dionysus suspects that those coals will flare up on their own during the confrontation; no need to tend to those.  Nor is it the right time anymore, for a joke about a bracing blowjob before they head up; or a celebratory fuck afterwards.  So he holds Hephaestus’ hand instead.

“You’re doing what needs to be done, Heph.  You wanted this; you wanted to make them take notice of you.  Now it’s just a matter of following through on your resolve.  I get it; I’m pretty much doing the same thing.  We’ll see it done.  I’m with you.”

Hephaestus keeps his face away, leaning his forehead against the donkey’s shoulder, but tightens his grip on Dionysus’ hand. 

The thunder rolls overhead, no longer in the distance but dangerously close.  


End file.
